Teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed have become the youngest debutant to take 5 wickets in an innings and set England on path for a victory after 3 days of play withinside the 1/3 and very last Test in Karachi on Monday.
Rehan, who at 18 years 126 days vintage on Saturday have become the youngest ever to play a Test for England, grabbed 5-forty eight to package deal Pakistan out for 216, giving his crew a goal of 167 runs with seventy five mins and days to play. Openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett plundered 87 via way of means of the twelfth over earlier than spinner Abrar Ahmed disregarded Crawley for forty one and Rehan for 10.
Duckett become unbeaten on 50 and skipper Ben Stokes 10 as England, 112-2 at close, want simply fifty five runs to inflict a first-ever whitewash on Pakistan on domestic ground. England, on Pakistan’s first Test excursion in 17 years, received the primary Test in Rawalpindi via way of means of seventy four runs and the second one in Multan via way of means of 26 runs.
Pakistan fell prey to a spin-assisted National Stadium pitch, dropping their ultimate seven wickets for an insignificant fifty two runs with skipper Babar Azam scoring fifty four and Saud Shakeel 53. Rehan constructed on fellow spinner Jack Leach’s 3 wickets off simply six balls withinside the morning consultation via way of means of taking his first 3 off simply 17.
He left Australian rapid bowler Pat Cummins in the back of who, at 18 years 193 days vintage, took 5 wickets in his debut Test in opposition to South Africa at Johannesburg in 2011. Surprisingly, he had now no longer bowled withinside the first consultation, which noticed Pakistan attain 99-3.
Azhar’s ultimate stand
Ahmed got here on after Azam and Shakeel had placed on a valiant rebuilding attempt thru a fourth-wicket stand of one hundred ten runs. The pair took Pakistan to 164 earlier than the skipper made an uncharacteristic misjudgement, quickly after he reached 1,000 Test runs for the year.
Leach had Pakistan reeling after he knocked over openers Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique and veteran Azhar Ali, acting in his ultimate match, with handiest one run added. Ahmed oversaw an similarly brutal passage of play, casting off Azam (fifty four), Mohammad Rizwan (7) and Shakeel withinside the area of six overs for the addition of a paltry thirteen runs.
Mohammad Wasim () and Agha Salman (21) additionally fell to Ahmed. Pakistan commenced the fourth day on almost even footing, with openers Shafique and Masood searching set and erasing England’s 50-run lead with out the lack of a wicket.
But any optimism become snatched away via way of means of England’s methodical spinners. Leach bowled Shan — trying an ill-recommended opposite sweep — for twenty-four which added down the primary cluster of wickets.
Earlier withinside the day, top-order stalwart Ali become denied a fairytale finishing to his storied profession that has spanned ninety seven Tests and 7,142 runs. He become crushed via way of means of spin as he performed a ahead push at the very last ball of Leach’s momentum-converting double-wicket maiden. His stumps shattered, Ali walked off the sphere for the ultimate time, finishing 12 years as a first-crew regular.
The England gamers clapped as Ali trudged again to the dressing room, whilst Pakistan’s gamers raised their bats on the boundary for a ceremonial protect of honour. Among the handful of spectators had been Ali’s spouse and sons.